President Trump resumed his attacks on ESPN Wednesday, calling the sports media giant “spineless” in an email to supporters and urging them to sign a petition demanding that the network televise the playing of the national anthem before the N.F.L. games it airs this season.
The email came one day after the president, speaking at a rally in West Virginia, criticized ESPN’s decision to not broadcast the playing of the anthem. The comments came at the end of a day of setbacks for the president, as his former personal lawyer pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and his former campaign chairman was convicted on tax and bank fraud charges.